Infonews n°270 du 18/03/2006
Tomorrow is Spring Day!
Rows in France around the new job law
Human experimentations
Leather Museum
Leather manufacturing process
A counter point from PETA
Animal protection Videos
Pets
The Slowest Food: Why American Chefs Have Taken Up Sous-Vide Cooking (from
[LII New This Week] March 16)
Buy Direct: Washington-Oregon: Harvest Schedule (from [LII New This Week] March
16)
Wordplay
Useful pages of links
Play a color game (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Monday, March 13th)
wwiTV: World Wide Internet TV (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Fact Monster: Famous Firsts by American Women (from [LII New This Week] March
16)
Manga University: Drawing Tutorials (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
The Big Mac Index (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
New Urban Guild (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Regions and Territories: Northern Ireland (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
150 Teaching Methods ( from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, March 16th)
Tomorrow is Spring Day!
Go to the website and choose on activity for tomorrow, so that your students
will feel part of that great project. On Spring Day, march 21st, over 5000
schools throughout Europe are going to celebrate spring and teach about Europe.
Discover the site, register, and act!
http://futurum2005.eun.org/ww/en/pub/futurum2005/index_15mins.htm
Rows in France around the new job law
see the pictures on the BBC website : http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4821490.stm
and read several articles, including these questions and answers where you
find all the basic vocabulary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4816306.stm
and this link to the site of the French prime minister in English : http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/en/ ;)
Read about it in the newspapers from other countries:
Ireland : http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=176473172&p=y76473878
India : http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=France+protest+turns+violent&id=85921
Canada : http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060318/france_protest_ap_060318/20060318?hub=CTVNewsAt11
Israel : http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1139395631179&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Qatar : http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/03AF6DA4-7E8B-4F68-A6D4-5E5A8B9E30D3.htm
the USA : http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/03/18/france.job.protest.ap/index.html
Human experimentations
Read about a drug test that went wrong in a London hospital. This could be
an interesting topic to discuss in class, since the guinea pigs are young people
attracted by this "easy" way to get money. We can consider it as
part of our role to make our students aware of the risks and of the threats
that can be hidden among the 15 pages of a contract they will have to sign
in a hurry.
the long article from The Times has to be used only in parts, but I find the
beginning very efficient:
"The sales pitch could have been written by a time-share spiv. “You’ll
be paid for your time,”
it reads. “Free food . . . digital TV, pool table, video games, DVD player
and now FREE internet access!” An invitation to one long holiday? No, this
is how Parexel, the company at the heart of a medical disaster, recruits human
guinea pigs to test new drugs and brave the frontiers of modern science."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2092527_2,00.html
Read also this article from the BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4819318.stm
with a diagram (that can be used to explain and comment the process of drug
testing)
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41453000/gif/_41453872_drug_flow_203.gif
and the reactions from the public
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=1315&&&edition=1&ttl=20060319110131
Advanced students can also listen to the interview of Lord Winston, a scientist
who implies that the restrictions and bans on animal experimentations might
have lead to this accident. There is also a video at the top of the page :
the images are not much help, but the audio content is interesting.
you can also read the info on the event on the websites of the labs who produced
the medicine
http://www.parexel.com/news_and_events/press_releasesSingle.asp?id=235
http://www.tegenero.com/news/statement_re_tgn1412/index.php
Leather Museum
[LII New This Week] from March 16 recommends
"Leather Museum ", the website for this British museum which contains
several resources on the history of leather-making and leather goods, including
an essay on the history of leather, a gallery of images from the museum (bookbinding,
horse saddles, bags and purses, dog equipment, and other leather items) and
a bibliography. Includes related links.
http://www.walsall.gov.uk/leathermuseum/
http://www.museumofleathercraft.org/
It is an excellent site for those studying clothing design and leathercraft.
You find in the museum useful pictures with sort comments including the basic
vocabulary concerning the material and the craft like "Heavy vegetable-tanned
hide, moulded, tooled, dyed and stitched".
Leather manufacturing process
If you are looking for more technical information, go to this excellent Australian
site where you can find a page with photos explaining the process of leather
manufacturing :
http://www.tft.csiro.au/leather/general.html
http://www.tft.csiro.au/leather/manufacture.html
A counter point from PETA
The site Cowsarecool.com discusses animal rights concerns related to leather,
and offers resources for locating alternatives to clothing, shoes, and other
items made from leather. Includes a FAQ, news, shopping tips, and other material
about cows and the leather industry. From the People for Ethical Treatment
of Animals (PETA).
http://www.cowsarecool.com/
You also find an interesting article about leather manufacturing and environmental
and human rights concerns.
http://www.cowsarecool.com/environment.asp
find also several fact sheets about animals being used in the cloth manufacturing
business. It deals with silk, fur, and wool. Discover facts about alligators
and kangaroos...
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_clothing.asp
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=58
Animal protection Videos
PETA (US)
find the ads against fur trade and other ads from PETA (the US RSPCA). Some
are easy, for beginners, but many show pictures of cruelty that can shock
students, remember to watch them beforehand to decide if they are appropriate.
various ads for animal protect, by categories :http://www.petatv.com/psa.asp
ads against fur and animal skin : http://www.petatv.com/skins.html
"hot dog" an ad against leaving you dog in the car when it's hot
(easy and simple): http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=hot_dog&Player=wm&speed=_med
upper intermediates and advanced can watch this program about the "I'd
rather go naked" campaign and its consequences on the fur trade
http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=naked_campaign&Player=wm&speed=_med
RSPCA (UK)
you can also find useful resources on the British RSPCA website, including
details about their campaigns:
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=CampaignsHomepage
discover for example the "back off the badgers" campaign
http://www.rspca.org.uk/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RSPCA/RSPCARedirect&pg=badgers
Pets
A good site to find information about pet care (skip the lengthy end about
the diseases). the other information are interesting. (.pdf files)
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/
See the example of the ferret:
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/petcare/ferrets.cfm
Watch this excellent video ( the pictures show what the commentary says) about
dog grooming, with all the basic vocabulary, plus the original touch of pink
nail polish, bandana and perfume. Here is Babs makeover ( to learn dog grooming
vocabulary or discuss how far is too far...)
http://www.bestfriends.org/allthegoodnews/video/vidFiles/BabsMakeover_H.wmv
and you can invite your students to prepare written or oral reports from these
pages about pet care and endangered species:
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/exoticpets.htm
http://perso.numericable.fr/~dreymondch46/infonews/themes/endageredspecies.htm
The Slowest Food: Why American Chefs Have Taken Up Sous-Vide Cooking (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
This 2005 article provides an overview of "sous vide ... the practice
of cooking food at low temperatures in vacuum-packed plastic bags. ('Sous vide'
is essentially French for 'vacuum-packed.')" Includes a discussion of
the history of cooking in sealed packets, French chef Georges Pralus' technique
of cooking foie gras in plastic from 1974, and current developments and concerns
(such as food safety). Also includes links to related material. From the online
magazine Slate.
http://www.slate.com/id/2123101/
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s=f679637c3907822b4cc77ef04aba5b45&showtopic=39023&st=0
[ for all those interested in new cooking trends. This sous-vide cooking seems
to be coming from France, although I had never heard of it. My hostess in England
used it last week, and I must say the result was very tasty. It seems that
the trend of "crackly crust" is out of fashion at the moment in the
US. Discover the technique in the article and the forum.]
Buy Direct: Washington-Oregon: Harvest Schedule (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Charts illustrating what foods are in season and which farms in Washington
state and Oregon grow them. Provides harvest schedules for animal products,
herbs, vegetables, and fruits, nuts, and berries. From the Washington State
University Extension.
http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/farms/harvest_schedule.htm
[ For those studying farming, you will find interesting information on this
site, including an interesting page on drip irrigation with links to tutorials
on how to install and design it.
http://smallfarms.wsu.edu/crops/dripIrrigation.html
irrigation tutorials : http://www.jessstryker.com/
irrigation management : http://www.cropinfo.net/drip.htm ]
Wordplay
Interactive game : Encourage your students to discover new words through
this interactive game. The students click on a word, they hear it promounced,
then an animation illustrates its meaning : pop, and it pops, melt, and it
melts, etc.
http://pbskids.org/lions/dad/wordplay.html
Games to print : matching games (opposites like wet/dry, synonyms, etc.), cut
the words and use them to make a story, and many others.
http://pbskids.org/lions/printables/
Useful pages of links
Find in these pages many sites to explore. They are packed with ideas of
activities and interactive games for young students like the sand castle where
they have to guess the correct spelling for a word they hear (no meaning, just
sounds)
http://teacherweb.com/NC/WilliamsTownshipElementary/CheriBarkley/wqr2.stm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/phonics/sandcastle/flash/game.shtml
Play a color game (from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Monday, March 13th)
Do your students know all their colors? In this interactive and online game,
they will click on the color box each time they are requested to find the color.
A voice asks them to click on the red square...
http://www.juliasrainbowcorner.com/html/colorquiz.html
wwiTV: World Wide Internet TV (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
This independent guide to Web TV provides links to live and on demand television
broadcasts from over 100 countries. Includes music, sports, and news outlets.
Available in several languages.
http://wwitv.com
[ in the UK section, find several sites of news, including Sky News in good
quality viewing. The choice is large, and the site definitely worth a look.]
Fact Monster: Famous Firsts by American Women (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Timeline of major milestones achieved by women throughout American history,
such as Elizabeth Blackwell (1849), the first woman in the U.S. with a medical
degree; Belva Ann Lockwood (1879), the first woman admitted to practice before
the U.S. Supreme Court; and Effa Manley (2006), the first woman elected to
the Baseball Hall of Fame. Includes links to additional information for selected
women. From Information Please.
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/womensfirsts1.html
[ Factmonster is a site that you can easily use with lower intermediate or
even beginners. the facts are short and simple, about all types of topics,
ranging from sports to literature. And the site also provides links for more
advanced students to read more about the topics. Useful if the students in
your class are of different levels : some will remain on the first page, while
others will go deeper into the subject. Just remember to ask those who have
the less information to speak first when they report to the class.]
Manga University: Drawing Tutorials (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Illustrated instructions by artist Julie Dillon for drawing the Japanese-style
comics known as manga. Includes instructions for anime style hair, clothing
and folds, general anime faces, female figures, and specific characters (such
as those from the animated cartoon "Dragonball Z,"
which originated as a Japanese comic). Also includes material about coloring
using various computer programs. From a company that sells manga drawing books.
http://www.cablenet.ne.jp/%7ejapanime/tutorial/tutorial.html
[ excellent to suggest to art students, or to discuss with them.]
The Big Mac Index (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
"[The] Big Mac index is based on the theory of purchasing-power parity,
under which exchange rates should adjust to equalise the cost of a basket of
goods and services. ... Our basket is the Big Mac" (a hamburger produced
by the fast-food chain, McDonald's). Includes comparisons of recent international
Big Mac prices, a "Coca-Cola map of the world," and articles about
McDonald's and fast food. From The Economist.
http://www.economist.com/markets/Bigmac/
chart : http://www.economist.com/images/20060114/CIN135.gif
[ an interesting and easy site for students in economics at all levels. For
intermediates, you can use the video, simple and short, or, for the weakest
students, just offer them the chart to comment. The basic idea from The Economist
is that the Big Mac is one of the rare items sold in the same presentation
and content all over the world. Economists can them use its price to decide
which currency is strong or weak.]
New Urban Guild (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
This organization is an agent for traditional architectural designers and
a nonprofit corporation that provides education "to assist in the design
and construction of traditional urbanism and architecture." The site features
details about "Katrina Cottages," which are designed to be small,
temporary homes to replace those lost during Hurricane Katrina. The
"Hurricane Katrina Renewal Tools" section includes a rebuilding checklist
and plans for several Katrina cottages.
http://www.newurbanguild.com
rebuilding check list : http://www.newurbanguild.com/home/RebuildingChecklist.pdf
plans and drawings : http://www.newurbanguild.com/foundation/GrowHouse.pdf
[ a fascinating site for future architects or home designers. You find there
what is being done and planned to offer decent but quickly built home to people
after Katrina. Contains most of the basic vocabulary of the trade.]
Regions and Territories: Northern Ireland (from [LII New This Week] March 16)
Profile of "[this] part of the United Kingdom."
Includes demographic facts, historical overview, and brief listings of leaders
and media outlets. Also includes links to related news stories, with a focus
on stories about the IRA (Irish Republican Army). From the British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/4172307.stm
[ lots of info and useful links about Northern Ireland, mainly focused on IRA.]
150 Teaching Methods ( from Riverdeep's Classroom Flyer, Thursday, March 16th)
If you are getting a feeling of using the same old material or teaching methods,
then chances are your students are also bored with the format. Try changing
your approach with the ideas listed here.
http://www.fctel.uncc.edu/pedagogy/enhancinglearning/150TeachingMethods.html
[ this is just a list of short ideas. Most of them are for younger children,
in kindergarten or primary school, but some can also be introduced in lessons
to older students, just to liven up the lessons....]
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